Abuela
by KelticDream13
Summary: Johnny gets a visit from his maternal grandmother and learns how special grandmothers can be, and about himself. please if you read, then review.redone


Abuela

Murdock stood looking out the window of his home watching the sands swirling outside, the winds were high today. Sand, leaves, and small limbs brushed by the window, making Murdock jerk his head back. He was glad he did not have to be out in it.

His boys were fighting the wind, as they rode out to check on the herds and the fences. Both wore bandanas over their faces, and hats pulled low. Sand flew at them, scratching their exposed skin, on its travels. The horses neighed and kept trying to turn back, away from the sand.

Scott opened his mouth to say something, and since it was muffled he moved his bandana, and yelled, and caught a mouthful of sand. He gagged and spit it out, his brother looked over at him, and smiled. He did not try to speak, as Scott looked over at him and seeing the smile in the eyes, wagged a finger at him.

They rode until they came across a young calf and its mother, on the other side of the fence, and the hole in the fence that needed mending. Both brothers moaned and looked at each other. They dismounted to get the wire out of the way, so the young one and its mother would not get cut. The calf moved closer to its mother, and turned its head and bawled at the brothers.

When they got the wire out of the way, they turned and put ropes on the calf and the cow. Heading toward their horses, when both horses bolted leaving them without a ride. For a moment, they watched the disappearing horses, then turned back and began to pull on the ropes.

The walk home was long and gritty, as the two men, felt the flying sand going down shirts and in t between buttons and in ears and despite of the bandanas, their faces as well. Sore feet grew blisters, and both were in a foul mood time they reached the house.

A half hour later both boys were in a steaming hot tubs, and enjoying the wet, hot water.

Scott ran the water over his head and let it drip down, and he began to wash the dirt away. Putting a long leg over the side he began to lather it, and rub the soap over his skin, then putting it back in the water, and doing the other. Then he stood to wash the other parts, the soapy rag in his hand he rubbed his chest, little bubbles running down his stomach and below. He washed his stomach and back. Then to the last part, and then he dipped himself in the water, and stood again, stepping out and water running down his body, and down to the towels on the floor. He grabbed a towel and began to dry himself, when he got to his bottom, he took the towel in both hands, and did a wiggle against the towel.

Meanwhile Johnny was in his bath, feeling better, except for his feet. He began to wash himself and as he did his mind drifted to his new girlfriend on the ranch nearby. He thought of her hair like corn, and eyes like violets, with skin like alabaster. He stopped and sat still for a moment. Damn he thought, I shouldn't be thinking of her. He got up with the bubbly water streaming down his body, some sticking in his dark chest hairs, and shook his head, spraying water everywhere.

Johnny put his underwear on and his pants, and grabbed his shirt, turning he looked at his bed. He went over to it, and jumped up on to it, and began bouncing up and down, he was having a ball, until the bed went down with a crash. Oh oh, I broke it, he thought. Murdock will not like that. Maybe he will not find out. I will get Scott to help me with it later. Almost time for dinner, better hurry.

Down in the main room Murdock sat at his desk working on something. Johnny walked over to him, and saw Murdock was drawing stick people, and stick horses. He smiled at his old man, he certainly couldn't draw. Murdock looked up and smiled.

"Enjoy the bath."

"Yeah, except my feet still aren't happy. What's for dinner tonight?"

"Well Maria said it was roast, and apple cobbler."

"Did she by chance leave the cobbler in the dining room to cool?" He asked as he looked over there.

"No, she kept it with her, she knows you boys." Johnny put on his best innocent little boy look. However, his father only smiled.

"Who me and Scott?"

"No, your grandmother. You do not fool anyone with that look young man. No dessert until you eat all your food." Scott walked in about that time and heard the last part.

"Do we have to Murdock?" Murdock shook his head, smiled, and walked over to the table where Maria was putting the food on the table, his sons following him.

The next morning as the boys were heading out the door for the days work. Johnny almost knocked down a little old lady. Both boys stopped in the doorway looking at the old lady. She had white hair and dark eyes, and olive skin, and very colorful dress of many colors. Her hair was swept up and a Spanish comb held it in place.

"Excuse us, ma'am, can we help you?" Her eyes looked over Scott then went to Johnny and stayed. She smiled and her small hand came out and touched Johnny's' cheek.

"Mi pequena aguila (my little eagle)"

"Who are you?"

"Soy su abuela, mi precioso muchcho."(I am your grandmother)

"Abuela?"

"What did she say Johnny?"

"I told him, I am his grandmother, I am Carmen Valasquez." Scott looked shocked he had not been told of this. He looked at Johnny and saw the stunned looked on his brother's face.

"My mothers' mother. I thought you were dead, ma said you were."

"Come in Mrs. Valasquez," she turned to Scott and smiled.

"Thank you."

"Abuela this is my brother Scott."

She held out her tiny hand to him and watched as he bowed over it and kissed it. She smiled at Johnny. "A very charming boy, such a fair grandson."

"But madame I am not..."

"Nonsense boy, you are Johnny's' brother and therefore my grandson. You will call me Abuela too."

"Yes ma'am... ah Abuela."

Scott led her into the main room where Murdock was just coming into from the kitchen. He stopped seeing his sons and the older lady. Johnny smiled and led his grandmother over to the sofa, and seated her. Murdock saw the gentle way Johnny handled the old woman.

"Murdock this is my grandmother Carmen Valasquez." Murdock's' face turned to stone for a moment before they softened and he moved over to the sofa.

"Marisa' mother" He said simply.

"You are Murdock, I am sorry how my daughter treated you. She broke my heart as well. I came to see my only grandchild, but I find I have two." She smiled at both boys. "I have looked for him. See when Maria left you within weeks she was alone again, she came to me. For two years I raised Johnny, as she ran off, then one day she came and took him away. My little Johnny."

"You are welcome here, as long as you like. You are family."

"Thank you Murdock, you are kind."

She turned to Johnny, and Scott and Murdock excused themselves leaving the two

alone. Johnny sat down next to his grandmother. He impulsively reached out and hugged her. Her eyes misted as she held her grandson."

She whispered to her precious grandson. "Le amoy le he faltado tanto."(I love you and I missed you so much) She pulled away from him, and she reached up and touched his face, and seemed to be trying to memorize it. "You have become such a handsome young man. You remind me of your grandfather when I met him, you look like him."

"Tell me about you and him. I won't to know my other family."

"If you promise to tell me all about you?" Johnny bowed his head." Listen... no matter what you have done, it won't change how I feel about you. I know your mother is responsible for the bad things."

The two began to talk and talked all morning, learning about each other and family. Something that now mattered to Johnny. Weeks past and Carmen had made the ranch house a real home, she had added colorful rugs, and wall hangings, and even some frills at the widows, and the bright pillows on the sofa and chairs. That and the sunshine she brought into the Lancer lives, just by being Abuela.

Scott came in before lunch, and found Carmen knitting something, she looked up and smiled. "I am glad to see you my little prince, come and sit with your grandmother." Scott moved over and sat next to her, and reach over and kissed her on the cheek.

"I just came in for something cold to drink. It's quite hot out there."

"Well it gives me a chance to see you; I will get you a cold glass of lemonade. But first let me see if this will fit. Take off your boot boy and let me measure it. Scott did it slowly. She took her blue string, measured, and knotted it. She had a red one, and a green one, and a pink one, lying on the table.

"Socks, Abuela?"

"Yes, I thought you could use them, and I like doing this for all of you. My boys."

"I love you Abuela, and I hope you stay forever." Abuela looked up at him, her eyes filled quickly with tears, as she tried to blink them away. She gave him a hug.

"I love you too, mi grandbaby." She looked into his eyes and saw they were a little glassy. "You do not feel well, my boy?" She asked, concern for him showing in her face. She reached up on tiptoes, with her tiny hands pulled his head down, and kissed his forehead. "Yes you have a fever, and you are sick."

"I am fine Abuela, really." He knew she would fuss at him. "It's just the weather."

"Usted hace como su abuela dice, pequeno uno!" (You do as your grandmother says little one) She spoke, her voice firm, and she wagged her finger at him. "Come on, to bed with you. She tried to pull him along, and failed.

"I am fine, please don't worry."

"You need to be in bed, my boys act like bambinos when they are sick. Come now!" Scott found himself giving in to the little old woman, who was less than five feet tall, yet was a giant in her love and devotion to her boys. He smiled to himself, and knew he liked grandmothers.

Johnny came in for lunch, and wondered where his brother was, he had disappeared earlier. Johnny looked around his home, and felt warm and loved. He wondered why his mother had never tried to make this place a home; it had been so bare of color and life. It was hard to believe his mother had been born to his grandmother. They were so different. He did not see that he was like his grandmother, and got his personality from the little feisty woman.

The one he was thinking of entered the dining room with plates of steaming food. She saw him and smiled. "Come boy, you must eat; you are never going to gain any weight if you don't slow down a little and eat. I made you a desert that has fresh thick cream, and strawberries, and pastry." Johnny moved over to her and hugged her.

"You are spoiling me Abuela, and I love you so much."

"You love my cooking." She looked down and touched the watch she wore around her neck, her eyes when they met Johnny's held such love, that he felt his breath stolen away.

"That too, can I have dessert first?" She smacked his hand and laughed.

"No, you will feel the spoon on your hand if you try it."

"Where's Scott, I will wait for him."

"He's in bed, he's sick with a cold, and a fever."

"Sick? " He moved to go upstairs and Carmen stayed him with a touch on his arm.

"He's asleep now. I gave him something to make him rest. I am taking care of him. You feeling okay?"

"I am fine; one patient is enough for you."

That afternoon, Johnny was out at the barn, his shirt off, and a fine sheen of sweat covering his upper body as he pitched hay onto the wagon. As he moved, his muscles rippled under his skin. Dark eyes from the house watched him with love, and other eyes from the cover of the side of the house and the bunkhouse were not so friendly.

Murdock was sitting in his room, feeling left out. He saw the relationship that had quickly developed between Carmen and his boys. She had stolen his boys' away, look at what she had done to his house. Who needed soft cushions? Rugs?

Men began to spread out, and from Johnny's' advantage point up above the men, he saw two of them. He jumped down into the hay on the wagon and rolled off, just as the first shot sounded.

Carmen heard the sound and she ran and grabbed a rifle and moved to a window. She took a bead on one man coming up beside the barn, she squeezed the trigger, the rifle bucked at her small shoulder, it found its mark, and the man went down a bullet having gone through his chest, he fell inches from Johnny. She moved to a different window looking. Murdock had come out of his room, and saw Carmen, he shook his head. So that is where Johnny gets it, he thought. He grabbed a rifle and moved out the back way.

Johnny came down firing at the man to the side of the house. The first bullet chipped some of the wall, and it cut the mans cheek. The man fired, and the bullet hit where Johnny had been moments before. He fired again. Just as the man reached to fire, and caught the man right through the eye. A scream sounded before the man collapsed to the ground, blood and gore on the ground.

Johnny saw the man coming up from the side, out of the corner of his eye. He turned on his heel, and fired rapidly and watched the bullet hit the man in the shoulder spinning him around, and as the man attempted to fire at him, he fired and struck the man square in the chest, the man clawed at his chest before falling. Johnny was moving on to the next man he saw and did not recognize.

The man stood, he stance one well known to Johnny. No fear, no emotion on the face of the blond man, who stood calmly waiting for Johnny. Johnny holstered his gun, and faced the man. Again he would face a man, face his demons, and live or die.

The slight movement of the blond-mans hand and both men drew. The blond-man was fast and he knew it, he was perhaps too assured of himself. Johnny was still faster, and saw the surprise on the other mans' face as he knew with certainty he had met his match this day. Johnny had draw and fired moving slightly, a bullet whizzed by him as his bullet found its mark in the stomach of the man in front of him. It tore through him, and his inside burned and tore, he staggered over towards a horse nearby, as his hand touched the pommel of the saddle he slid to the ground, he was dead before he hit the ground as the horse shied away at the smell of blood.

Johnny stood in the middle of the yard, he moved over to one man who lay there still breathing, he stood over him. "Why?" He asked simply.

"You have killed so many you would not remember, him. I failed to kill you." He spoke with blood coming out of the side of his mouth, he spit and looked into Johnny's' eyes. "I hate you; I hope someone puts you in your grave." He gasps for breath,and found none, his eyes rolled into his head and he was gone.

Johnny stood and closed his eyes; he did not see the dark eyes still watching him, or the pain in those eyes. For her baby, and his pain. She was proud of him; he really was gone with that gun. She put the rifle back, and went outdoors and over to him. She put her hand on his arm. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"It's alright baby. You saved us all. They... "She pointed to the men on the ground, "don't matter, they came to harm you, forget them. You did no wrong, I am proud of you." He reached and pulled her close, and rested his chin on her head. He drew strength from the small woman. She was smiling as she held him.

Next day, Carmen collapsed in the yard, and Johnny rushed over to her. He lifted her into his arms, her eyes opened. "Abuela, what is wrong?" He rushed her into the house and to the sofa, where he gently placed her. He sat on the edge of the sofa and took her hand. She spoke, her voice soft.

"My Johnny, so handsome, like your grandfather." He looked into her eyes and he knew, the truth then. He felt the lump develop in his throat, and the pain in his chest, and his eyes burned.

"Abuela I will send for the doctor." She looked into his blue eyes, and smiled. She saw Scott standing behind his brother watching. Her boys she thought, always.

"I don't need one, my little one. I knew this would happen before I came here. It's why I had to hurry and find you. To let you know you are loved, and have a grandmother who is so proud of you, both of you." Johnny turned and saw his brother there, with tears in his eyes. Their eyes met briefly and silently communicated, before Johnny turned back.

"But Abuela, I need you so...much..." He choked up and his voice was thick with tears. "I love you, please do leave me." She reached out and touched his cheek.

"I know my baby, I love you too. Always, I will always be with you. In here." She touched his heart. She looked up and saw Scott crying now, and watched the tears flowing down his face.

"Oh Scott, I never wonted to hurt you, please don't cry. I am old. But I am happy, I got to be with you and Johnny. Scott turned and walked away. Johnny leaned and kissed her on the cheek.

"You have made my life so much better, taught me about me. I would take your place if I could grandmother."

"I know my baby. But you are young, and I am old. One day we will be together." Her voice grew fainter, as she spoke. Johnny could barely see her for the tears that blinded him. He felt his heart breaking inside.

"I will always try ... to make... you proud of me grandmother." He said, as she took a deep breath and was gone. He put his head down on her chest and began to cry, letting out all the pain he felt inside. His sobs reached the ears of his brother, who knew she was gone; he went to the main room to be there for his brother ... and for her. Johnny did not hear him, or feel the hand on his back, his grief tearing at him so deeply.

Scott and Johnny stood at the grave, saying their final goodbyes to their abuela.

The end


End file.
